City of Light A tale of PostCataclysm Shattrath
by Exdeath64
Summary: Upon the coming of Deathwing and the destruction of much of Azeroth, many people, of all races elected to leave their homes in seek of a safe haven. Where better then a city in another world altogether? This is the story of those people and their trials.


Azeroth had been sundered.

Of course, my people had been through worse. I was a very young child, unable to even walk when Mother and Father fled Shattrath, and by some stroke of luck, the three of us managed to follow the rest of our people to the great Marshlands, one of my first memories is the sight of glowing Fungi and the cries of the Sporebats at night. Somehow, we managed to find a way to escape, Velen and the others managed to take advantage of some Elves messing with an old Naaru fortress, we managed to take it back, and with a little luck, made our way out of our shattered second home, and to a place where we could be at peace...More or less. We managed to make it to Azeroth, and our new home, The Exodar. We lived happily for several years. But it was not to be forever...

I was around 12 when it happened, the Dragon woke up, and everything changed, I was still a child, and despite my protests, it was deemed best for all if my family where to return to our homelands. The City of Light we Draenei built with our own hands. Shattrath.

This whole situation would have been fine, if we where the only ones who had the idea. You see, many had heard of Shattrath being a place for refugees, a safe haven from the Legion and the terrors of Outland. The conflict in Outland had been over for some time, and aside from the constant threat of the Legion's forces, things were stable. No Blood Elves attempting to summon demons, no war between the Horde and Alliance, and best of all, no Dragon attempting to destroy it. Many people elected to take a place which had managed to hold of the Burning Legion for years rather then take a chance with a Dragon who had sundered Azeroth, and was planning to tear the rest of it down. Overnight, the cost of a portal tripled, flights to the Dark Portal where harder and harder to find, and some had even resorted to using the dark powers of Warlocks to drag their families across the Twisting Nether to a place they thought might just protect them from Deathwing. It was surely better then a city of stone, with the scars of Deathwing's talons still in the city wall's to this day, or a city under Martial Law with an untested Warchief.

Fortunately for us, Father knew a powerful mage, aside from the powers of the Light our people can use almost at will, we are also talented users of the Arcane forces of the world. He managed to provide us with a Portal, which quickly brought us just outside the city. In the middle of a vast throng made up of all races, desperately seeking refuge from Deathwing and the terrible things tearing Azeroth apart.

Chapter One

A young child, no more then 12 or 13, maybe older, maybe younger, it was always so hard to tell with the Immortal Draenei. Stood among a vast group of races from all over Azeroth and beyond. Orcs stood with Tauren, trying to make their voices heard to the Elekk mounted warriors who where trying to maintain some form of order has they figured out how to accommodate so many people. Gnomes and Goblins where discussing engineering quite loudly, with the occasional explosion and profanity in their respective languages. Fierce Worgen, on the run from the horrors of their Forsaken-Conquered homelands stood aside Trolls, comparing fangs and muscles. All in all, everyone wanted in, and they would not take no for an answer. Fortunately, fights where limited, aside from the aforementioned issues with the Gnomes and Goblins, it was mostly limited to Orcs and Humans, still bitter over the First and Second wars, and all the other conflicts since then occasionally got into minor fights. It once got bad enough that a Paladin was called in to resurrect the recently deceased (one Orc was too far gone to be raised, he was buried quickly by a Shaman of his race).

Stranger races then those, however, where not hard to find, Ethereal's creatures of pure energy, who happened to be as smart as any Goblin and just as shrewd, where attempting to pawn off cheap Outland goods at severe markup to the travelers who did not know any better. Nether Drakes circled overhead, observing the throng, and occasionally chattering amongst themselves about how much damage their wayward father had caused. Tiny Sporelings could also be seen on the fringes of the mob, observing them careful, and withdrawing into the brush whenever anyone got too close. A few people had commented on how strange it was for them to be out of the marshlands, something must of really peaked their curiosity.

The child did not quite know what to make of it, and simply clung closer to his Mother.

"Mother...There are so many people..." She sighed, the mother, a young (again, it is so hard to tell their ages...) Draenei wearing simple garments, which, par for the course where made of cheap linen and showed off her stomache looked down at her son.

"Be calm Me'ruu, they will take care of all of us. Our kind do not turn away those who need help, the Elves on the other hand...Well, I can assure you, A'dal will watch after us."

"Mother, who is A'dal?"

"You will see once we arrive...I wonder where your Father is..." Amura, the Patriarch of the family had gone off some time ago in an attempt to find someone who had a better idea of what was happening. He had been gone for nearly and hour, with no sign of him in the vast mob, which was actually starting to slowly move closer to one of the many gateways into Shattrath. Suddenly, Me'ruu felt something behind him, he felt the tips of his facial tentacles shudder has he turned around to face the intruder.

"Hello." It was a young girl, of a race he had never seen. She was taller then he was, with long blonde hair, and oddly glowing green eyes.

"Um...Um...Mother?" She looked down, and noticed the child.

"Oh dear...Well, we will have to get used to dealing with them...It's alright Me'ruu. Just stay close"

"Oooh, your a Draenei?" she smiled "Daddy says we will be living with your kind. He said I should talk to one."

"What...What?"

"Your not very articulate..."

"Ar...What?" She sighed

"You don't speak Common very well...My name is Sina"

"Me'ruu..." the Draenei child stared at his hooves the entire time.

"You people sure are strange...I've never seen anything like you back home..."

"I'm...Where are you from?"

"The Kingdom of Quel'Theas." She said with no small amount of pride "Father is a magister under Lord..." she was distracted by a large shadow behind her.

"And what, pray-tell, are you discussing little elf?" A huge Draenei, built out of what looked like pure muscle, with a massive crystalline hammer strapped to his waist, with his hand gently fingering the handle, stood behind her.

"Father!" Yelled Me'ruu

"Amura! Leave them be, he will have to learn to deal with their kind eventually." said his Spouse. He scowled, his tentacles curling slightly at the tips.

"Oh very well...Behave yourself little Sin'Dorei..."

"What's a Sin'Dorei?"

"Oh, its what we call ourselves, in common it means 'Blood Elves'" she smile, has if proud of knowing that.

"Blood Elf?" said Me'ruu

"SINA! Where are you!" A loud booming voice, possibly aided by magic, managed to make itself heard over the crowd.

"Oh dear...Father is calling, and he sounds angry... I'll see you later!" She made her way through the crowd, quickly leaving no trace of her presence has the throng moved ever closer to the city gates.


End file.
